Beyond Just Tech...

Beyond Just Tech...

Though the tech frontline is slowly limping back to shape, most customers are not yet on a spending spree. They are choosy and driving hard bargains. Here is all the tech you need to know, in order to bargain better

Those who are familiar with Indian drama will be familiar with the sutradhar. It is the sutradhar who makes you understand the nuances of the unraveling plot. It is he who lets you in on to what is happening behind the scenes. He is the only one in the play, who will deign to talk to you. For the characters, the audience does not exist. Only one another exist.

	Basic Hardware Falling PC and notebook prices are just one small element of the story when it comes to basic hardware. Even without that,there is enough happening to merit frequent, if not constant, monitoring Enterprise Applications Enterprise apps have been talked of for quite some time now, but still remain an enigma for many. So, instead of the standard approach we have in other articles, we look at what they are and how they work Network Backbone Hardware prices have dropped and wireless networking and Gigabit Ethernet are becoming more widespread. New mantras in network management are fuelling this segment Enterprise Security Security threats due to malicious code are on the rise, new Web application firewalls, hybrid hardware for security, and routing are hot Storage & Backup Storage is a critical part of it infrastructure. Even as the segment sees tremendous growth, there is a furious churn on, in terms of technologies, products and players Printing Solutions The action in this area is more pronounced in the small-office space. It is here that MFDs and photo printers are gaining entry, while in the workgroup space, fast network inkjets make their appearance even as color lasers are becoming more affordable Development Tools After the downswing of the last two years, the development-tools market is hotting up once again

Narrator, interpreter, friend, philosopher, guide.… The sutradhar's role is central to the drama unfolding around him, yet he has no role in the drama itself.

Our role in this section, State of the Mart, is very much like that of the sutradhar. Our role is to narrate what happened during the year, to let you in on behind the scenes activities, to advise you on which way to turn and, at places, to make gentle fun of

the actual characters who may think no end of themselves.

As with the sutradhar, we are not a part of this story, we did not create it, we are not the characters in it. But, without us, your understanding of the story would probably be incomplete.

Gentle reader, the world of tech is only as complex as any other. Only, it is made to look much more so by the propensity to hype up every other thing as the next big thing since brown bread. The basic rules of common sense that you apply to any other decision-making process can be applied here also, with a fair degree of success.

There are three types of people in any industry. Let us take the example of cars. If you want to buy a car for your use, then you do not need to have a PhD in automobile engineering. Right? (Of course, there are those who will do enough research to be able to earn a doctorate when setting out to buy a car).

The second type consists of those who are in the car business. These need to know a lot more about cars and their mechanics than the average Joe. And then there are the ones who are employed to design cars. They need their doctorates. These articles are written primarily for the second class of people and for those who would do that extra bit of research before buying their cars.

Finally, extending the example a bit, to run a car business, it is not enough that you know all the tech in cars. You need to ensure that you know enough about the business of cars. The same applies in any other industry or at the home.

It is not enough that you know everything about the technology; you need to know how to apply it to the situation you are in. Specs are not enough. Business insights are a must.

By Krishna Kumar